European Commission Chairwoman Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday that the European Union is considering a "€900 million macro-financial" deal with crisis-hit

Tunisia. The discussions took place between the EU, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

In addition to providing increased trade and investment opportunities for Tunisia, the talks focused on addressing mutual migration challenges, as stated by Von der Leyen on Twitter.

One of the key commitments made during the discussions is a pledge to allocate €100 million to Tunisia for enhancing border checks, conducting at-sea rescues, and facilitating the repatriation of illegal migrants. Von der Leyen emphasized the shared interest in dismantling the exploitative operations of smugglers and traffickers, who endanger human lives for their own gain.

Rutte, who has expressed the need to reduce the number of asylum seekers entering the Netherlands, described the talks as "excellent." He also mentioned that further discussions on various topics will take place in the following weeks.

However, Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld called for clarification regarding the statement made during the talks. She raised questions about the specific migration challenges being addressed and the measures in place to safeguard democracy and human rights. In a tweet, she urged the European Parliament to demand complete transparency on all details before any funds are disbursed.

Before the meeting, Tunisian President Saied emphasized that Tunisia would not serve as Europe's sole border control if it would harm his own country's interests.

Last week, European immigration ministers reached an agreement in Luxembourg on how to manage asylum seekers arriving at the EU's borders. Dutch Minister Erik van der Burg hailed it as "a very important step." Photo by Helder da Rocha, Wikimedia commons.